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Subject:Unidentifiable sound
From:mordo
Date:Sat, 25 Nov 2006 21:24:34 -0500

I've just completed 880 miles on my 90 Carat and almost all was
well...except.

Yesterday, driving around Corolla, NC the bus was running great and I was
having a great time. Today, prior to leaving for Baltimore, I checked fluids
and the tensions of the belts, etc. Almost immediately on the road I noticed
an unfamiliar sound and felt its corresponding vibration. My first thought
was front wheel bearing as i had recently had them repacked by a
questionable mechanic. At my first stop, I checked the temp of the wheels.
Nothing abnormal there.

My next thought was tire noise. I thought perhaps treads had become
distorted from bad alignment or some such. No, they're fine and they aren't
abnormally warm either. Then my thoughts went to transmission as all other
systems are operating normally. Coolant temp normal, transmission shifting
smoothly, etc. So, I don't think its transmission.

As I became more fixated on the noise, it of course seemed to get louder and
the vibration at my feet greater. I'm baffled. The noise is like the sound
of offroad tires ont he pavement. It begins to be audible at about 25 mph
and grows louder as speed increases. I still am thinking it might be wheel
bearings but I figure if they were bad enough to make that kind of noise,
they'd be smoking hot or comppletely kaput after 350 miles at highway speed.

Any thoughts, citizens of the list? There were no unusual events to
associate the new noise with am I am stumped.

--
mordo
1990 Carat

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